Parents defend treatment to keep girl child-sized

[RedHot25]

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

Interesting debates here: regarding disability rights, ethics, is it inappropriately interfering with nature (i.e. I stopping her growing, etc) and so on...

Parents of a nine-year-old U.S. girl with the mental ability of a three-month-old baby are defending their reasons for using medical treatments to keep their daughter child-sized for the rest of her life.

....

Ashley -- who doctors expect to have a normal lifespan -- has had a hysterectomy, surgery to block breast growth and undergone hormone treatment that will limit her growth.

...

They have defended their decisions, saying that keeping their daughter small will make her bed-ridden existence more comfortable and it will make it easier for them to move her around.
"As a result we will continue to delight in holding her in our arms and Ashley will be moved and taken on trips more frequently and will have more exposure to activities and social gatherings (for example, in the family room, backyard, swing, walks, bathtub, etc) instead of lying down in her bed staring at TV (or the ceiling) all day long," they wrote.
Ashley's parents say they are currently near the limits of their ability to lift their daughter at her weight of 65 pounds.

....
The parents have a blog at: http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/blog/

[Hack&Lube]

This is an interesting thing. I know of families with mentally disabled children that were able to cope lovingly until the child just grew too big. When a mentally disabled child hits 18-25, you can't pick them up anymore. You need wheelchairs, electric lifts, home renovations, hired caregivers, etc... It's really been a terrible physical, emotional, and financial burden that many families shouldn't be forced to bear.

Personally, I think this is good idea.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

This is an interesting thing. I know of families with mentally disabled children that were able to cope lovingly until the child just grew too big. When a mentally disabled child hits 18-25, you can't pick them up anymore. You need wheelchairs, electric lifts, home renovations, hired caregivers, etc... It's really been a terrible physical, emotional, and financial burden that many families shouldn't be forced to bear.

Personally, I think this is good idea.

What about supportive living options etc?

I'm not sure, just throwing different things into the mix...

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by RedHot25

What about supportive living options etc?

I'm not sure, just throwing different things into the mix...

You still need to pay for that, through the nose, and more as the child gets older and bigger. Plus that removes the child from your home and your direct care and connection as well. These are mentally disabled people that cannot walk on their own that still lay on mats and slobber and cannot control their motor functions and eat. It's a terrible, terrible, terrible, physical burden on older parents to care for them.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

You still need to pay for that, through the nose, and more as the child gets older and bigger. Plus that removes the child from your home and your direct care and connection as well. These are mentally disabled people that cannot walk on their own that still lay on mats and slobber and cannot control their motor functions and eat. It's a terrible, terrible, terrible, physical burden on older parents to care for them.

It definately is.... (I have human services experience).

[Daradon]

Sounds like they are just doing the best with a bad situation.

[RW99]

I say it's ok as long as the treatments/procedures/surgeries are healthy and safe. I just don't know how safe it is to force a human from growing

[OilersBaby]

Originally Posted by RedHot25

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...hub=TopStories

Interesting debates here: regarding disability rights, ethics, is it inappropriately interfering with nature (i.e. I stopping her growing, etc) and so on...

Parents of a nine-year-old U.S. girl with the mental ability of a three-month-old baby are defending their reasons for using medical treatments to keep their daughter child-sized for the rest of her life.

....

Ashley -- who doctors expect to have a normal lifespan -- has had a hysterectomy, surgery to block breast growth and undergone hormone treatment that will limit her growth.

...

They have defended their decisions, saying that keeping their daughter small will make her bed-ridden existence more comfortable and it will make it easier for them to move her around.
"As a result we will continue to delight in holding her in our arms and Ashley will be moved and taken on trips more frequently and will have more exposure to activities and social gatherings (for example, in the family room, backyard, swing, walks, bathtub, etc) instead of lying down in her bed staring at TV (or the ceiling) all day long," they wrote.
Ashley's parents say they are currently near the limits of their ability to lift their daughter at her weight of 65 pounds.

....
The parents have a blog at: http://ashleytreatment.spaces.live.com/blog/

One of the hardest things for parents of children with such mental health problems is when they reach puberty. Their bodies will mature and look "normal" for their ages, however if they are not mentally mature as in Ashley's case, they will not be able to make the appropriate decisions. So when Ashley becomes a teenager, boys may hit on her and stuff, but because her mental ability is a lot slower, she may not be mature enough and will end up a victim of sexual assault...she wont be mature enough to make decisions about sex and things like that, even though men will appreciate her body. So that could be a benefit of her parents choosing to keep her from physically developing.

[GoinAllTheWay]

Ya, that's a toughie. I'm sure we will find argurments both for and against it. Personaly to me, it makes sense. Are they really denying her anything? I ask that question under the assumption she will remain with the mentality of a 3 mnth old for the rest of her life.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

One of the hardest things for parents of children with such mental health problems is when they reach puberty. Their bodies will mature and look "normal" for their ages, however if they are not mentally mature as in Ashley's case, they will not be able to make the appropriate decisions. So when Ashley becomes a teenager, boys may hit on her and stuff, but because her mental ability is a lot slower, she may not be mature enough and will end up a victim of sexual assault...she wont be mature enough to make decisions about sex and things like that, even though men will appreciate her body. So that could be a benefit of her parents choosing to keep her from physically developing.

I understand what you are saying, but I think in this case it is irrelvant.
I think the article said she had the intellect of a three month old (presumbably not going to change), so it's unlikely that she would be left in a situation where this is possible. (Specifically her being cohersed into some sort of comprimising situation)

Had she been higher functioning where where she would be in the position to get into this sort of trouble, then there would probably be much more complicated issues involved in this.

As it stands I think there is little to no oposition because she is so mentally handicapped, that whether she grows up or not, is irrelevant for anything other than the size of bed that she'll need.

It's a sad story, but I think the parents are doing this for the right reasons, namely so that they can continue to take care of their daughter themselves.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by RW99

I say it's ok as long as the treatments/procedures/surgeries are healthy and safe. I just don't know how safe it is to force a human from growing

Yeah I agree, I would like to know about how safe this is before I can formulate an opinion. Has this been done before somewhere else? It doesn't sound safe to me, but I have very limited knowledge of human growth/health, so really I base that on nothing more than that stopping the body from doing what it is naturally suppose to do doesn't seem safe.

[browna]

If they have the money for all these surgeries then it being a financial burden is not the issue, unless they are looking out for their own intrests before their daughter (which they should have thought about before they conceived the child... I know people shouldn't have to think about the posibility of having a child with a disability, but people always need to plan based on the worst case scenario)
There are government agencies that have programs that give funding to give support to people with developmental disabilities which could involve in-home support or residential group homes.
Even if her cognitive abilities are that of a three year old, she is still a human being and should be treated with respect and dignity. As long as ASHLEY's (not the parents) quality of life isn't comprimised, you shouldn't mess around with anything... I think that deep down that there is some kind of knowledge of what's going on and she may not have the ability (hence the word disability) to communicate the fact that she doesn't want these procedures done to you. How would you feel if that was you and people were doing this to you with out your permission but couldn't talk?
Hope this makes you wonder...
(Sorry bout the rant I'm obviously taking the anti-parent stance)